Sander



C. A. CAMPBELL sANER April 1s, 1940.

' 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 8, 1936 BRAKE P1 PE d nventor @V1/aufm @.@cumpba (ttornegs April 16, 1940. C, A AMPBELL 2,96,975

SANDER Filed Aug. a, 1936 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Apr. 1s, 1940 NT ortica SANDER.l

Charles A. CampbelLWatertown, N. Y., assigner( to The Newy York Air Brake Company, a cor-` poration ofy New Jersey A. Application August 8,` 1936, Serial No. v 95,008

` 6 claims, (C1. 291-15) This invention relates to kiiuid pressure brake systems and particularly to means for operating the sanding equipment employed -in brake systems such as schedule H. S. C.

In high speed vtrain service, during abrake application, brake cylinder pressure is very rapidly developed throughout 'the train. Because of this it is of rutmost importance that the sanding operation be effected promptly and synchronously throughout the system. f

It should occurv at least simultaneously with and preferably in advance of the actual brake application. Failures to do so may be of serious consequence.

In trains of the abovetype the sanding valves are usually actuated during: service vapplications by means of a manually operable valve,:comrnonA ly a pinch handle valve on the Aengineers brake valve.

In an emergency application with schedule H.

S. C. the sander` valves are automatically actuated by the triple valve portion of the control valve one of which is associated with the brake vvcylinders for each of the various trucks. This 'control valve locally controls iiowfofy pressure to and from the brake cylinders. The Well known No. 21 control valve will be .-used as typical in the following description.. In accordance with vthis invention the engineers brake valve pinch. handle, or equivalent manually operable valve, is utilized during service applications to initiate the operation of`electro-pneumatic means to cause sanding.

During an emergency applicationinitiated by a reduction of brake pipe pressure at an emergency rate, the control valve' on the leading truck connects a small (sanding) reservoir with the sander control pipe, and sanding then is continuous until the reservoir is vented through a timing choke in the sander control pipe,unless the emergency application is sooner terminated.

If desired, the electro-pneumatic means can be rendered partially inoperativavi. e., certain magnet valves may be cut out. Under these circumstances sanding will occur upon the leading truck only. This becomes Adesirable when rail conditions are favorable, as it is thenl necessary to sand from one point only, whereas under adverse rail conditions, all sanding points should be active. f

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view including the necessary sanding equipment for one truck of kthis case the sanding reservoir is included in vonly' one brake unit. In Fig. l the control valve '8, or movement of the slide valve of the triple a car, showing the related units of a fluid pressure brake system.

Fig. 2 is a similar View omitting the engineers brake valve and the control valve and showing the sanding equipment for the rst and second Vtrucks of each of the two motor units used with long trains.

Referring'first to Fig. 1 the numeral 3 designates an engineers brake valve, 4 the main reservoir, 5 the control valveI for .the brakes of the first motor truck of the train; and E the sanding reservoir connected with this control valve. These elements are standard equipment in fluid pressure brake systems (schedule H. S. 0.). In

Sis shown as made up of a ported pipe bracket 5a, j

a triple. Valve portion 5b, and a relay valve portion 5c. The triple valve portion is shown. in release position `in which it charges the reser-.v Voir 5 from brake pipe 5d through the usual 'charging groove around the triple piston 5e and va charging port in the triple slide valve. When the triple piston 5e moves all the way up to emergency position a cavity in the tripley slide valve connects reservoir 6 with pipe I1. y

The engineers brake valve includes a pinch handle 7. for unseating a poppet valve 8 urged to its seat by a spring '5. The poppet valve 8 controls ow of fluid pressure from a pipe II (connected with the main reservoir) through ypas-y sage AI2 to passage I3. An exhaust or timing choke tting'fld is provided and leads from passage I3 for a purposeto be described.

A pipe I5 connects the passage I3 to a normally open pressure switch I6. A branch I 'I' of pipe I5 is connected to the sander port of the control valve bracket 5a.

f It follows from the above that movement of the pinch handle 1 to unseat the poppet valve portion of the control valve to emergency positionA will admit fluid pressure to pipe I5, thus causing closure of pressure switch I 6.

Pressure switch I6 includes two contacts I8 and I9, a contactor 2l, `and a piston 22, normally held in its lower position by springs 23. When uid pressure is: admitted to the space below piston 22this piston will move upwardv against the resistance of springs 23. Contactor 2| which partakes of the movements of piston 22 will engage contacts I8 and I9 and close the electric circuit about to be described. v

From asource conventionally illustrated as a battery 6I 'lead two lines 62, 65, the latter ina cluding the contacts I9 and I9 and contactar 2l of switch I6. A plurality of magnet valves have their windings connected in parallel between lines 62, 65, by means of branch Ywires 63, 64. A switch 24 (Fig. 2) when open cuts out all maget valves located beyond it. As shown it cuts out the rear three of the four magnet valves illustrated. Obviously the switch can be located so as to cut out one, two or three units or a plurality of switches might be used to cut out any desired number of magnet valves.

Each magnet valve 25 has a supply port 26 and an exhaust port 21 controlled by valves 28 and 29, respectively. When windings 3|v of the magnet valve vare energized,rvalves 28 and 29 are forced downward against the resistance of spring 32. Exhaust port 21 will close, and supply port 25 will open. Fluid pressure may then flow from main reservoir 4 by way of pipe 33, branch pipe 34, supply port 25 and pipe` 35 to the sander valve 36. When the windings are deenergized, spring 32 moves the valves 28 and? 29 upward to close supply port 26, open exhaust port 21, and exhaust uid'pressure from the sander valve 36 through atmospheric exhaust port 31.

The sander valve 35 comprises a body having a cylinder 38 and three chambers 39, 4I and 42. Chamber 42 is open to main reservoir pressure at all times through pipe 40 connecting it with pipe 33. A po-ppet valve 43, normally held to its seat by a spring 44, controls flow of fluid pressure from the chamber 42 to chamber 4I. A piston 45 having a second piston 46 of smaller diameter formed as an extension thereof works in cylinder 38. A stern 41 of piston 45 engages poppet valve 43 and unseats it upon downward motion of the piston.

The sander valve 36 serves one or more sand traps 48. They are alike in structure and function so only one need be considered. They are connected at 49 with a source of sand (not shown) and are provided with a discharge'pipe 5! which directs the discharged sand upon. the rails. A nozzle 53 threaded into'the trap body is connected with the chamber 4I of the sander valve 39 by a supply pipe 54. Flow of fluid pressure through nozzle 53 is controlled by a spring loaded ball check valve 55. A clean-out pipe 51 connects a second nozzle 56 in the sand trap, with the chamber 39 inthe sander valve 35.

The operation of the system is as follows: Assuming a sanding operation is desired in connection with a service brake application, the pinch handle 1 is actuated and unseats valve 8. Main reservoir air then ows from pipe Il through passages I2 and I3 and pipe I5 to the pressure switch I6 closing the electric circuit.

Assuming the manual switch 24 is closed, current will flow as follows: From the source 6|, along supply wire 62, branch wires 63 to the windings of the magnet valves, branch wires 64 to the return wire 55, manual switch 24, and pressure switch I6 to the source 6I.

If switch 24 is open the circuit will be from source 6I along supply wire 62, branch wires 63 and E4 of the first magnet valve, return wire` 65, and pressure switch' I6 to the source 6I.

It will thus be seen that the effect of actuating switch 24 is to render the entire sanding system active or limit the sanding function to the leading 'truck only.

Assuming the first-named conditions to exist, all magnet valves 25 will be energized. Their exhaust ports 21 will be closed, and their supply ports 26 will be opened. Main reservoir air will then flow through pipe 33, branch pipe 34, supply port 26, and pipe 35 to the cylinder 38 of the.'

sander valve 36, forcing the piston 45, and necessarily the piston 4E3,.downward. p I

As downward motion of pistons 45 and 46 is initiated, piston stem 41 unseats poppet Valve 43,

admitting' main reservoir pressure from chamber 42 to the chambers 4I and 39. Flow of air pressure, which Amomentarily occurs from chamber 39 through clean-out pipe 51 to nozzles 56, is'

shortly terminated as piston 46 overtravels and and pipe 51. v

However main reservoir air continues lto flow from chamber 42 through chamber 4i and -pipe 54 as long as the poppet valve 43 is open. Ball check valves will be opened thereby andair pressure, flowing through stream of sand through .upon the rails. v

Upon release of the pinch handle 1 spring 3 nozzle 53,will eject al discharge pipe 5I and` vblanks the connecting portbetween chamber 39 kPressure in switch vlli will i fao at the same time returns the pistons 45 vand 46 to their upper position.

The above described sanding operation is automatically initiated upon movement oi the engineers brake valve handle to emergency position. The slide valve of the triple portion 5b of the control valve 5 will then connect the sanding reservoir 6 with branch pipe I1, and air pressure from that reservoir will flow by way of pipe I1 l to pipe I5 and operate pressure switch I5 as before described Ato cause a sanding function.

If the brake valve handle is held in emergency position the sanding function will continue until vthe sanding reservoir pressure is bled down.

through the choke fitting I4, when the pressure switch will act to terminate the sanding function as before described. Thus sandingwill continue for a definite time-interval unless thebrakesV are sooner released. Release vterminates the sanding through the action of thecontrol valve 5.

What is claimed is: i

1. The combination with a train vbrake system of the high speed type, including a brake pipe and a plurality of braking units connected with' said brake pipe and controlled by changes of pressure therein, said units being capable of producing emergency applications; means `rendered active as an incident'to the initiationjof an emergency application of the brakes for lfurnish-fy ing air under pressure; a fluid pressure operable switch arranged to be operated by air under pres- Sure so supplied; a plurality of magnet valves; an electric circuit extending substantially throughout the train and including said switch andthe v windings of said magnet valves; and Sanders controlled by the magnet valves, the various Sanders being associated with corresponding 'braking units throughout the train, the speed of electric response as compared with the speed of development of braking pressure serving to en` sure that initiation of an emergency application causes sanding throughout the train, at least'as early as thevdevelopment of effective braking pressure.

2. The combination dened in claim 1 in which the means rendered active as an incident to the initiation ofy an emergency application comprises a sander port included in a braking unit approximately at the head of the train and arranged to deliver air under pressure to'the uid pressure operable switch as that unit reaches emergency position.

3. The combination with the structure dened in claim l, of a manually operable valve serving when operated to furnish air under pressure to the uid pressure operable switch, independently of a brake application.

4. The combination with the structure dened in claim 1, of a switch operable tol sub-divide said electric circuit whereby in one position of the switch, the sanders throughout the train will be operative and in another position of ther switch, -sanders on at least one leading unit willbe operative and those on trailing units inoperative.

5. The combination with the structure dened in claim 1, of timing means for limiting the duration of the response of said fluid pressure oper` ated switch, to the air supplied thereto.

6. In a vehicle brake and sanding system, in combination, a 4train conductor, a plurality of electrically operated sanding devices connected l to said conductor and operable when said conductor is energized to effect sanding of the track rails, two independently operable switch devices connected in series between said conductor and a source of current supply, .one of said switch devices being normally opened andthe other being tion has been initiated.

CHARLES A. CAMPBELL. 

